Censorship of Japanese Anime in the United States

Japanese anime is a visual art style that has become increasingly popular in western culture over the past five decades. The recent explosion of anime shows has caused concern by American parents over the violence and sexual content that is occasionally exhibited in episodes that are loosely edited. Mainstream anime that is heavily edited has also caused pandemonium, mainly by the anime otaku (fan base) in America who are accustomed to viewing anime in its full and unedited form. Even though it is good that parents are concerned about what their children are viewing, I personally believe that anime should have the same right as any other American program to be shown on television, or at least be sold in stores, as an unedited art form.
The main reason for the debate over anime content stems from the differences between Japanese and American culture. The Japanese are a bit more lenient as far as censorship goes. The Japanese government adopted most of its constitutional basi...